After not receiving much help in recent weeks, the Miami Dolphins saw almost every game take place on Sunday afternoon – for selection and positioning in the playoffs.
The two teams in action arriving with 10-4 records, the Cleveland Browns and the Indianapolis Colts, suffered what could be considered unlikely defeats – for different reasons.
The Dolphins also saw the choice of the Houston Texans in the first round reaching the top five, when Houston suffered a 27-21 defeat against the Cincinnati Bengals – and can move up to fourth if Carolina defeats Washington.
The playoff Baltimore Ravens won on Sunday, easily defeating the New York Giants, but that game made no sense to the Dolphins in terms of the playoff implications.
In fact, the only disappointing result of the 13:00 games was that Atlanta was unable to cause a turnaround in Kansas City because that would make Houston choose one more spot.
So this is where things are during the 1pm games of Week 16 in terms of Dolphins playoff scenarios:
As we said, the Dolphins don’t need help because if they beat Buffalo Bills in Week 17, they won’t just be in the playoffs, they’ll have the fifth seed. Based on the current standings, that would mean a first round showdown against Tennessee Titans and quarterback Ryan Tannehill.
If the Dolphins lose in Buffalo, they will need one of three results to make it to the playoffs:
– Baltimore losing in Cincinnati.
– Indianapolis losing at home against Jacksonville.
– Cleveland losing at home against Pittsburgh.
It is important to note that Buffalo and Pittsburgh won the division title, but they no longer stand a chance of being the first seed in the AFC and goodbye in the first round because the Kansas City Chiefs won the victory on Sunday afternoon.
Therefore, it will be interesting to see if the Bills and / or Steelers give rest to any frontline player, even if a victory can improve their playoff rank, which can make the difference between a home game or an away game. home in the second round.